In Her Heart
by AlexToYourOlivia
Summary: Emma is determined to rejoin Regina and the Evil Queen despite Killian's reservations. She knows the answer is there...in her heart. Eventual SwanQueen but it does have some Captain Swan to start with.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own them. I just think they have a different story to tell than the one we see on television. I'm going to do my best to tell this version of it. All mistakes are my own, this has not been beta read.

This begins during Emma and Killian's engagement; Regina is still split. This isn't canon so I definitely took liberties with my storyline and what may or may not have happened in the show.

In Her Heart

 _I have to figure this out. Regina and the Evil Queen can't stay split forever._ Emma had reached her wit's end. She could think about nothing but how to reunite the two parts of Regina and help the other woman find her happy ending. Looking out from the docks, Emma was lulled into a focused trance by the rhythm of the water. She was unaware of her surroundings, a dangerous thing for sure, and didn't hear the darker half of her friend come up behind her.

The Evil Queen, for her part, simply stood watching the Saviour and wondering what was on the other woman's mind. A moonlit visit to the docks in the middle of the night usually meant the blonde was worried about something.

"Trying to figure out how you'll be able to afford the amount of makeup Captain Guyliner wears after the wedding?"

Attempting to conceal how startled she was, Emma turned toward the other woman, "I was actually thinking about you."

"Were you now, Miss Swan?" The Queen stepped closer.

"Yes, of course, I was. You know it's important to fix this separation," Emma said quietly, making sure they were alone.

"I know you and my weaker half feel that way. I, however, don't see the rush. Why should I seek to reunite when that means all of my desires will be shoved down deep inside?"

Meeting those dark eyes, Emma took a deep breath, "Regina, maybe now they won't be. Now that you know - in a very real way - exactly how important both halves of you are, maybe you'll do better at meeting all of your needs...and now that I know, I can help." Emma reached out and laid a hand gently on the Queen's forearm.

She didn't intend it but the older woman instinctively straightened, her heart beating harder, adrenaline coursing through her veins, she went into protective mode; "How quaint," she snickered. "The small town savior wants to come to my rescue. Does that usually work for you? Do people actually fall for that?"

"I don't know, Regina, I don't usually care this much to help anyone help themselves. So, tell me, do you appreciate it? 'Cause it always seems to be you I want to save," Emma answered, not backing down from the Evil Queen but keeping her voice quiet and intimate.

They searched one another's eyes, looking for honesty and answers to questions they hadn't asked yet.

Sighing and stepping closer to the corseted queen, Emma whispered, "I wish -"

"Emma! There you are!"

The sheriff's eyes closed and her shoulders slumped slightly as she heard Killian shout. Had she been looking, she might've seen disappointment cross the features of the other woman before the queen spoke, "I want to know for what you wish, Miss Swan. Until next time." she disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

 _She said nothing of Hook. Not a word about his interruption._

"Are you alright, my love? Did she hurt you? I'll kill her if she did," the captain said loudly, not caring that it was nearly two o'clock in the morning.

"Killian, I'm fine. What are you doing here?" Emma asked when he was close enough for her not to shout.

"Checking on you, love. You weren't in bed and it's quite late," he smiled, reaching for her.

Trying to suppress her irritation at being checked up on, the woman answered, "I don't know how you know I wasn't in bed, considering we don't live together."

The pirate gave her what he thought was a devilishly handsome grin and explained, "I came over to check on you. With two Evil Queens running free, someone has to make sure you're safe."

"No!" Emma said loudly, "first of all, stop referring to both halves of her as the Evil Queen. Call her Regina or don't call her anything. Second, no one has to make sure I'm safe. I'm an adult who has lived a tough life. I am more than capable of taking care of myself."

Hook was caught off guard by the vehemence in Emma's voice. "Geez, Emma. There's nothing wrong with people who love you wanting to know you're okay. I'm supposed to be your True Love, that should count for something, don't you think?"

"I don't know anymore, Killian. What I do know is that I need some space. I don't like to be tracked and followed. I don't want to be checked up on and watched. I am not looking for a babysitter."

"And just what is it you think Queen Regina was doing here, hmm? You don't think she was following you? Watching you? Don't be a fool, Emma Swan. You and I? We're going to be married. I have a right to know where you are. Get used to it."

Emma, afraid to disagree and disappoint everyone, simply shook her head and walked away.

"I'm going for a walk in the woods, Hook. Don't follow me."

"Emma! Hey!" he shouted after her as she quickly walked away.

Unbeknownst to the volatile couple, a quiet brunette watched their disagreement and silently followed the angry woman down the path.

As Emma stormed deeper and deeper in the woods, Killian stormed deeper and deeper into a bottle of rum. Though the time was nearing 3 o'clock in the morning, the reformed villain showed no signs of slowing down his speedy attainment of his goal of complete drunkenness. He wanted to forget the way the woman he professed to love looked at the woman he professed to hate.

Meanwhile, in the woods…

"Just come out, Regina, I know you're here," Emma said loudly.

Blushing, the older woman stepped up next to her friend. "How did you know?"

 _I always know when you're near me._ "I just knew."

The two women stood silently side by side looking up at the night sky through a clearing in the trees. Taking a deep breath, Emma turned toward a huge, old tree with a gap at the bottom, she pulled out a bag with a two blankets inside. Spreading one on the ground, Emma rolled the other up to be a pillow and lay down near one edge gently patting the other side for Regina to join her.

Smiling gently, the former queen obliged. "I was afraid you would be angry with me," she said gently.

"Regina, it actually takes a lot for me to be angry with you; why would you think I am now?"

"Well, you told your pirate you don't like to be followed or watched and then i did it anyway. I'm sorry."

The sheriff didn't respond immediately. She took in everything her friend had said. She mulled it all over, trying to figure out why she wasn't more upset. _She did follow me. She was watching me. She knew I didn't want that._

"You know, Regina," Emma said, rolling onto her side and propping her head on her elbow so she could look more closely at the other woman, "I have a few things to say to that. First, he isn't _my_ pirate. He used to be - or maybe still is - _a_ pirate, but he isn't mine."

Interrupting, Regina sighed deeply, "Emma. Emma stop. You asked him on the first date. You told him you loved him. You're going to marry him. Of course, he's your's...and you're his." Regina was carefully tilting her head and blinking to contain the tears that were suddenly threatening to fall.

"What? No. No, I'm not his. I'm my own. I'm...I'm everyone's and I'm no one's. Regina, listen to me. I don't want that. I don't want, ugh, I don't want any of the things that are happening right now. I did ask him on a date. My heart was broken and breaking and hurting and I needed to take my mind off of it. I did say I loved him, you're right. I was wrong. I...I…"

"Emma, don't do this. Just breathe. It's okay that you love Hook. You're allowed to love, Emma. It's a good thing, remember? You love Henry and Snow and David. You love Ruby and Granny. You love your little brother."

"I love you."

Regina fell silent. _In, 2, 3, 4 and out, 2, 3, 4, in, 2, 3, 4 and out, 2, 3, 4._ Taking a breath and trying to speak, Regina couldn't. She had to continue to remind herself to breathe. With her next exhalation, she realized the moment didn't mean what she thought. It didn't mean what she wanted, what she had been dreaming about for quite some time.

"Right, we're friends. You love, um, you love Dorothy and, uh, Archie."

Emma sat up. "Regina," she said even quieter.

"No." _Don't, Emma. Don't break my heart even more._ And she disappeared in a puff of royal purple smoke.

Sighing, Emma told her anyway, "Regina, my friend, my best friend. Regina, the woman who challenges me and supports me, believes in me, trusts me, listens to me and does what I need her to even when I don't want her to. Regina, this beautiful soul who has fought through such trauma at the hands of her mother. Regina, who wants to make the right choice and do good. Regina. I love you. Not as my friend. I love you. As my everything."

 _And I have a lot of work to do to prove it._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning dawned clear and bright in Storybrooke, Maine. Emma rose already compiling a mental list of the things she needed to do before she could go to Regina. She was so distracted, the water was quite nearly running cold before Emma remembered to put shampoo in her hair.

 _Okay, Swan, step one - don't be an idiot. Step two - code name. Damn, maybe Henry does get that from me._

Quickly finishing her shower, Emma decided to dress for comfort and confidence. Tight jeans, a tank top, boots, and her red, leather jacket to top it off. She left her hair wild and free and headed to work.

The moment Emma stepped into the station she knew she wasn't going to have an easy day…

David was on the phone, "Repeat that address? Okay, we'll be right over," he hung up and turned quickly to the man in the cell. "You sit down. I'm not letting you out until you sober up. You reek of rum and you wrecked Granny's front landscaping!"

Emma froze, positive she was going to look over and see Killian in the cell. She was simultaneously mortified and infuriated.

"I just want to share the blame!"

Guilty about feeling so relieved, Emma sighed and spoke up, "Leroy, be quiet. If there's blame to share, we'll figure it out."

"Emma! Thank goodness you're here! Can you call Ruby and ask her to come watch Leroy and answer the phone?"

"Sure but where are we going?"

"There's been some suspicious activity on a street near the school. The person who called it in, Sam, thinks the Lost Boys are dealing drugs but he also saw Killian hanging around this morning."

 _Shit. This is all I need._

"Hey, Killian's no angel but I don't think he's doing drugs with teenagers."

"I hope not. That wouldn't look very good for any of us. Especially considering Leroy swears he was drunk with Killian this morning."

"So, Hook was drunk at Granny's with Leroy and dealing drugs with the Lost Boys at the same time?"

"No, Em. He was drunk with Leroy around three this morning and the drug call just came in a few minutes ago. I'm not trying to railroad your fiancée."

"I didn't mean it that way, Dad."

"Please call Ruby to cover the phones. I want to head out to that drug call."

As Emma picked up the phone on her desk Ruby walked in.

"Hi! Granny said she won't press charges if the dwarf and the pirate repair and clean up the front of the diner."

"Good to know," David answered, "in the meantime, can you stay here to answer the phones and keep an eye on Leroy while Emma and I respond to a call we just got?"

"Sure," Ruby said, propping her feet up on the desk and quickly settling in.

"Thanks, Rubes," Emma answered, heading toward the door.

As the Sheriff and Deputy stepped outside, David spoke carefully, "Uh, Emma, I think we should take my car."

"Fine."

As they pulled onto the street, Emma took a deep breath and released it with a sigh.

"Okay, let's talk through this. We are possibly pulling up on an active drug scene. If Killian is there, he is likely still drunk from his overnight binge. If the Lost Boys are dealing drugs, some of them are probably using whatever they're dealing."

"Right. Do we approach them all as one big group or should I take Killian aside and you deal with the kids?"

"If Killian's there he's probably still upset with me. You should talk with him away from me. I'll take Peter's crew."

"Great; let's go."

As David and Emma turned the corner they saw Devin, a Lost Boy, handing something to Killian who quickly pocketed the object.

Emma sighed in frustration.

"Talk to Devin first; I've got Hook," David reminded her.

"Hello, love," Killian said loudly, stepping in front of the posse of teenagers. Emma ignored him and kept walking right by.

"I'm talking to you, woman," Hook growled out grabbing the Sheriff's arm. Without even thinking about what she was doing, Emma quickly broke his grip, swept his legs, and pinned him face down on the sidewalk.

"Here you go, Deputy."

Blinking, David looked at Emma, looked at Hook, and looked back at Emma before realizing he needed to take control of the prostrate man.

"Killian Jones, you are under arrest for assaulting a police officer," as David frog marched the offending pirate to the patrol car, he informed him of his right and the impending questioning about other offenses.

"Devin, Alex, boys," Emma began as she approached the surprisingly guilty looking group of teens, "what's going on here?"

"Nothing, Sheriff Swan," one of the usually quiet boys answered first.

"Really? Judging by the phone call we just got it's not 'nothin', is it?"

"Look," Devin stepped up, "I think whatever you're thinking is incorrect. It isn't at all what it looks like."

"I hope not, since it looks a lot like you're selling drugs...which is kind of a big deal here," Emma said.

"No - we're not selling drugs! I swear, Sheriff!" One of the younger boys interrupted, panicked.

"Then what are you selling?" Emma stepped closer to the young one.

"We're not doing anything illegal. People in this land have...needs...that can't be met by the things we have here. No one wants to ask Gold for anything anymore," Devin explained.

"So, you're just filling a gap?"

"Exactly. We're doing a community service. People need magical items, we go back and get them. Win, win."

"Uh. No. Not win, win! Do you know how dangerous it is to keep world hopping?"

"Do you know who we are?"

Emma breathed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose.

 _Why today?_

"Yes, Devin. I know exactly who you are. You may think what you're doing is absolutely safe but I'm not so sure. You need to hold off on any more magical retrieval missions until I can look further into this."

Smirking, the teenaged leader of the Lost Boys stepped toward the blonde and said, "You have no right to stop us. We're free here. We can do whatever we want."

Emma smirked right back, "Not without a permit, you can't. I spent a lot of time on city streets, I know damn well what the requirements are for reselling. So, unless you have a permit to sell items at this exact location, you must stop. And if I find out you've been stealing these items from the Enchanted Forest to sell here, I'll lock up all of you and your customers!"

"Even your fiancé?" Devin shot at her.

"Anyone in possession of stolen goods will face the appropriate consequences."

"Okay, Sheriff," Alex spoke up, "I can guarantee no stolen items have exchanged hands. Can you help us get a permit or something to keep doing this? We're good at it and we like it. It lets us use the skills we developed with Peter as the Lost Boys but we aren't hurting anyone."

"I will absolutely look into getting you a permit if we can also guarantee that jumping back and forth between realms isn't dangerous to any of you or the town itself. Remember, no magic comes without a price."

"Yes, Savior, we know," Devin said as he and the other boys walked away.

"Sorry, Madam Mayor," Ruby said, "The Sheriff's out on a big call right now. I don't know when she'll be back."

"What 'big call' and why don't I know about it? Sheriff Swan usually alerts me to any danger in Storybrooke," Regina answered, her cheeks shading pink.

Before Ruby could answer they heard the Charming entourage making its way back into the station.

Hearing Killian's voice, Regina tensed up. She wasn't prepared for a confrontation with the pirate.

"In the old world, this wouldn't even be an issue!" He was shouting.

Emma snapped. She turned and shoved Killian against the wall. Keeping him pressed there with a hand to his chest, she replied, "Yeah? Well this isn't the old world. Here, you don't put your hands on anyone, definitely not a police officer, and certainly not me. Never me!"

Emma quickly turned away from him only to come face to face with a clearly upset Mayor Mills.

"He put his hands on you? Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, Regina, I swear. He's currently under arrest for assaulting a police officer. Deputy, please bring him to the Interview Room and cuff him to the table."

David didn't answer, just followed Emma's direction.

With her fiancé out of the room, Emma stepped closer to Regina and spoke more quietly, "I really am okay, Regina. He grabbed my arm because I was ignoring him."

Regina hesitantly reached towards the arm the other woman had indicated and concentrated on sensing any injury.

"Not even bad enough to need healing," Emma smiled.

"Good. I'm sorry, I should've asked first," Regina looked away.

"Asked before you healed me? No, Regina. You can always heal me. I really appreciate that that is your instinct." As Emma took another step closer to Regina, Ruby shuffled some papers on the Sheriff's desk, reminding them both of her presence. Emma sidestepped Regina and spoke again, "Umm, did you come by for something official?"

"Oh, uh, no. I just wanted to make sure everything was going smoothly here. I heard there was an eventful night at Granny's?"

"Apparently Leroy and Killian had some kind of scuffle and wrecked the front landscaping. Granny said she wouldn't press charges if they repaired it."

"And today? You were out on a big call? Everything okay?"

Emma narrowed her eyes mock-suspiciously, "Why, Mayor Mills, if I didn't know better I would think you were tapping our phones."

Chuckling a bit, Regina shook her head, "Nothing quite so exciting, I'm afraid," she whispered, leaning into Emma's space, "Ruby told me you were out on a big call."

"Always stealing my thunder," Emma teased.

The two women headed over to Emma's desk where the Sheriff thanked Ruby again for covering the station for her. As she left, Emma told her Leroy and Killian would both be by Granny's later to plan for how to repair the damage they had caused.

"Okay, so the big call, I actually do kind of need to discuss it with you but I'd rather not do it in front of Leroy. Can you hang around until we get rid of Killian? Or can we meet later?" _Yeah, right, Emma, there's no way she wants to meet you later. Not after you told her you loved her last night. Way to blow it._

"Henry's going out tonight with your parents, would you like to come over for dinner later to discuss it? Does that sound acceptable?"

"That sounds like a great plan," Emma answered quietly.

 _That sounds perfect._


End file.
